Illini Tale of the Tape: Kent State at Illinois, NIT Second Round (3/22/2010)
By Editorial Staff
With Cirque du Soleil out of the Assembly Hall, the Illinois Fighting Illini returned home for a second round NIT game against a gritty and senior-laden Kent State Golden Flashes squad.
Through the first 20 minutes, the lukewarm Illini were a bit lucky to be in a 31-31 standstill with the more urgent and tougher Golden Flashes.
Coming out with more determination and a better shooting stroke out of the break, Illinois would play a mature second half, pulling out to a 23-point lead at one point and winning by 17 points.
After its impressive second half, Illinois looked like it had the makings of advancing to Madison Square Garden and maybe even winning this thing they call the National Invitational Tournament.
That’s until Dayton came to town two days later.
Where I Was for This Game: Watching from home, a bit disinterested in the first half but pulled back in by an impressive Illinois performance in the final 20 minutes.
What I Remember from This Game:
● Was glad to see Dominique Keller have a good first half, providing a spark off the bench after a disappointing second half of the season that culminated in his benching for having a bad attitude during the Big Ten Tournament.
● Not being too impressed with the Illini’s effort in the first half as Kent State was the tougher team. With that said, I have to admit that I was hooked line and sinker by the Illini’s performance in the second half, leaving me hoping that Illinois could win more game at home and get to the NIT Final Four, not only for the playing experience but the opportunity to play in the Garden (Illinois will play at The Mecca this upcoming season).
● Immediately flipping over to ESPN 2 after this game to catch the end of the Dayton – Cincinnati home game. I was secretly hoping that Cincinnati would win that game as I felt the Bearcats were a better matchup for the Illini than the up-and-down, breakneck Flyers.
Some Things That Surprised Me/Stood Out Upon A Second Viewing:
● Did not know that 80% of the Kent State offense went through senior guard Chris Singletary, who is from Chicago (Farragut Academy). Singletary is only the 3rd player in MAC history to be named All-Conference all four seasons.
● Was surprised to learn that Kent State had six scholarship seniors on its roster, compared to just one scholarship roster on the Illini roster in Keller.
● Was impressed with Kent State Head Coach Geno Ford, who not only looked the part of a good, young coach but was a Mr. Basketball in the state of Ohio. Ford would go on to play point guard at Ohio University, where he teamed up with the Shaq of the MAC, Gary Trent.
● Forgot that Illinois students were on spring break for this game. The Assembly Hall lacked its normal buzz, that was until Illinois gave its fans something to cheer about in the second half.
● Both teams were seeking a win to reach the NIT Quarterfinals, which Kent State last visited in 2000 and Illinois in 1980.
● Did you know that Illinois center Mike Tisdale was the only Illini to start every game last year?
● Totally forgot that Illinois played Kent State in the South Padre Invitational back in the 2008-2009 season. Illinois won that game in overtime.
Alright.
Let’s do this thing.
Kent State Golden Flashes (24-9, 13-3) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (20-14, 10-8)
Kent State Head Coach Geno Ford (2010 MAC Coach of the Year) goes with a starting lineup of Chris Singletary, Tyree Evans and Sherman Rodriquez at the guards and Frank Henry-Ala and Justin Greene at the forwards.
Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber will go with his normal starters of Demetri McCamey and D.J. Richardson at the guards, Bill Cole and Mike Davis at the forwards, and Mike Tisdale at center.
Announcers: Dave Weekley and Dickey Simpkins
I missed the first 1:39 of game action when recording. I’ll pick it up at 18:21, with Illinois leading 4-2. Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale have already scored for the Illini.
● Demetri McCamey: Rattles out a wing jump shot at 18:20. Nice rebound and assist to a streaking Richardson for a dunk at 15:21. Hits a pull up three at 14:36, to give Illinois an 11-8. A shooter’s roll on that play, as the ball hit the front rim, clanked up in the air and fell through.
Nice over-the-top pass against the zone at 11:38, but Davis couldn’t handle. That would have been an easy lay in or dunk for Davis.
Slow to help on the weak side at 10:16 as Singletary came off a screen, drew Paul and Tisdale, and then hit big man Brandon Parks for a dunk plus the foul on McCamey. Parks hits the free throw and Illinois trails 17-16. A bit lackadaisical at 9:19 when closing out Simpson, who hits a wing three to put Kent State up 20-18. Nice job pushing the ball down and finding Paul under the basket at 9:12 for an easy layup and tied game. Misses a quick three at 8:38; a bit early in the shot clock there, and it didn’t look like McCamey had control of that ball.
Back in out of the under-8. Misses a jumper off a screen at 6:51. Beautiful behind-the-back pass on the 3-on-1 to the trailing Keller for a two-hand slam and 24-21 Illinois lead at 5:55.
Sloppy pass to Griffey on the baseline is stolen at 3:18. Forces and misses a three at 2:44. Don’t like his shot selection in the first half. Settling too much for the three. Finally, some good activity at 32.2 seconds. Crashes the board on a Keller miss and nearly taps in the ball; after the loose ball comes back to McCamey, he hits a difficult left-handed layup plus the foul to break a 4-minute Illinois scoring drought. McCamey hits the free throw to tie the game at 31.
A bit slow on a closeout at the start of the half, but Kent State misses a three. Misses a three at 19:10. Gets fouled on a nice attack of the rim at 17:43 after a Tisdale block. McCamey misses the first free throw and the second free throw. Luckily, Tisdale gets the offensive board, and McCamey then follows up with nifty penetration and a no-look pass to Cole on the baseline at 17:32, leading to a layup and 35-31 Illinois lead. Bad pass of the screen and dive to Tisdale is stolen at 15:57. Nice feed at 15:49 to Davis on the break for a dunk.
Hits a pull-up jumper on the break at 12:11 to put Illinois up 49-38 and give the Illini its first double-digit lead of the second half.
Poor containment at 11:14, leading to Kent State penetration and an easy layup that cuts the Illinois lead to 51-42. Aggressive drive off a nasty crossover and beautiful reverse layup at 10:14 to put Illinois up 53-45. Follows up with a great steal and layup (plus the foul) at 10:01, giving Illinois a 10-point lead. McCamey is fired up after that play, and he should be: McCamey rarely creates offense from his defense. Hits the free throw to put Illinois up 56-45. Just as Simpkins says it’s important for the Illini not to lose their concentration, McCamey falls asleep and loses Sherman under the basket, who receives a beautiful feed from Singletary and lays the ball in to cut the Illinois lead to 56-47 with 9:42 to go. Hits a difficult fade-away jumper with 9:04 to go and the shot clock down at five. Fires and misses a pull-up three on the next Illini possession, which is extended by a Davis rebound. Misses a curl jumper at 8:26, and Kent State gets on the break, with McCamey fouling Holt. Holt makes one of two free throws to cut the Illinois lead to 58-48. Illinois caught a break there as Kent State rebounded the missed free throw and hit Holt under the basket; Holt couldn’t hit a contested layup.
Nice help at 6:51, coming over on the baseline to strip the ball from Green. McCamey was out of bounds on the play though. Great feed to Tisdale at 6:35, resulting in a Tisdale layup plus the foul. Beautiful split of a double team at 5:58 and subsequent find to Davis, who hits an open jumper from just inside the top of the key.
Overall: 15 points (6/15 from the field, 1/5 from three, 2/4 from the line), 10 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 turnover in 36 minutes. Had a really good bounce back second half after a so-so first 20 minutes, when his shot selection was poor and his body language conveyed some disinterested.
● D.J. Richardson: Short on a wing three at 17:13, and Kent State breaks out on the play, with Evans getting a dunk for a 6-4 game in favor of the Golden Flashes. Catches a break at 15:30, allowing baseline to Sherman, who misses an open wing jumper. Then breaks out on the rebound, with the rebounding McCamey hitting him long for a two-handed slam and an 8-8 game with 15:21 remaining.
Misses a deep corner three at 13:48 as Kent State came out with a 2-3 zone following the under-16 timeout. Nice head fake and baseline floater at 12:43 rattles out, but Tisdale tips it in for a 2-point Illinois lead. Catches a break at 12:11 as Sherman beats him to the rim with a nice hesitation dribble but misses a point-blank layup.
Slow to recover after helping Paul on the dribble at 11:13, when Kent State backup guard Randall Holt hits a three to put Illini in a 14-13 deficit. Responds by hitting a wing three at 10:59; great ball movement by the freshman on that play, with Paul getting into the lane and finding Griffey on the baseline; Griffey then kicked out to Richardson, who stepped in and shot that ball with confidence. A sweet stroke, Simpkins says after that shot.
Back in at 8:39 for McCamey.
Good on-the-ball pressure at 6:33, when he helps force a Kent State travel off the screen and roll game.
Travels at 1:05, catching the ball in the corner and moving his feet while throwing up a shot fake.
Poor containment of Sherman at 19:04 as the Kent State guard gets into the lane and misses an open layup. Follows up by getting on the wing and missing a three in transition.
Gets fouled at 14:02, after an aggressive drive into the seams of the 2-3 zone.
Back in at 10:41 for Jordan. Squares up and drains a three off a nice one-handed pass at 7:54 to put Illinois up 61-48. Catches a break on the next Illini possession as he loses Sherman, who misses a wide open three. Runs out after the miss but has a layup blocked at the rim, with the ball going out of bounds to the Illini and play stopped for the under-8 timeout. Actually, the ball will go to Kent State.
Overall: 8 points (3/10 from the field, 2/6 from three), 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 turnover in 31 minutes. A bit of a quiet performance for Richardson, even though he was good for a couple of momentum threes (which he at least gives you most games) .
● Bill Cole: Good help at 14:56, coming down low to block a Green shot from behind as Tisdale was getting bullied around a bit.
Back in at 8:39 for Paul.
Nice steal of an Anthony Simpson pass at 6 minutes, leading to an Illinois break during which Keller breaks out and slams the ball, and Kent State takes a timeout. Good hands at 4:57, tipping and stealing a Kent State pass; however, while falling out of bounds, Cole throws the ball away to the Golden Flashes, which get an easy layup to cut the Illinois lead to 26-24. Gets called for a tough fall at 3:42 as Singletary posted him and bullied his way into the lane. Cole had his hands up on that foul, which brings the under-8. Singletary misses both free throws out of the under-4.
Back in at 32.2 seconds for Paul.
Badly misses a three off the side of the rim at 18:06. Was wide open from the top of the key but that that ball as if he was throwing up a boulder. Too mechanical there. Nice job of hiding on the baseline at 17:32 as McCamey finds him on a no-look pass for a layup and 35-31 Illinois lead. Called for a difficult push at 16:37, after getting his hands in the passing lane.
Back in out of the under-8. Fouls Singletary with the clock stopped at 6:51, prior to an inbounds play. Kent State is now in the bonus, and Singletary makes the first before missing the second. Illinois leads 61-49.
Overall: 2 points (1/3 from the field), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 16 minutes. Not too many impact plays, though he spent a good share of time on Singletary.
● Mike Davis: Can’t finish an open look at the rim at 17:46. Was off balance after diving from the top of the key, receiving a nice pass on the right block from Cole and then dribbling to the opposite side of the rim for the shot. Poor help defense at 17:38, as Singletary threaded the needle off a screen to Green for a slam. Mike Tisdale had hedged the screen and had not yet recovered to Green; Davis was late on the dunk, which ties the game at 4. Misses an open baseline jumper at 16:53; was flat-footed there. Tough defense at 16:11, but Kent State big man Anthony Simpson hits a difficult fade away just to the left of the top of the key, putting Illinois in an 8-4 hole. Nice post up and patient turn into traffic at 15:46, when he rattles in a short fade away for an 8-6 game in favor of Kent State.
Can’t catch a nice over-the-top pass from McCamey at the back of the 2-3 zone with 11:38 to go. That would have been a dunk or layup for Davis. Hits a soft, one-handed floater at 9:52, after getting in the middle of the zone and receiving a nice pass from Jordan, giving Illinois an 18-17 lead.
Does not box out Simpson off a missed Kent State three, and the big man gets the offensive board and easy lay in for a 28-26 Illinois lead. Simpson with 11 points off the bench.
Misses two open shots from close range at 2 minutes. A bit frustrated there as Illinois trails 29-28.
Gets fouled off the ball on a post up at 18:28. Gets rewarded for hanging back after a Kent State turnover as McCamey finds him for a two-handed slam and a 39-31 Illinois lead. Hits a nice face-up wing jumper over Simpson at 15:11 to put Illinois up 41-33. Simpson sagged off a bit and Davis didn’t hesitate.
Really starting to assert himself on the glass. After pulling down a defensive rebound, he comes up with an offensive rebound of a badly missed corner three from Richardson and then lays the ball in with a soft floater from just outside the lane to put Illinois up 45-38 at 13:05. Comes back at 12:44, hitting a push jump hook in the lane after Illinois ran off a missed Kent State bucket. Illinois leads 47-38 after that Davis bucket. Snatches down a missed Kent State layup at 12:18.
Misses a one-hand push shot at 11 minutes; was fading on that close shot. Can’t get over a baseline screen quick enough at 10:30 as Simpson hits a wing three to cut the Illini lead to 51-45.
Drills an open jumper from just inside the top of the key at 5:57 to put Illinois up 66-49.
Overall: 16 points (8/14 from the field), 16 rebounds (14 defensive), 1 assist and 1 turnover in 36 minutes. A bit too up and down in the first half, Davis was fantastic in the second half, playing with great activity on the boards and finding his stroke. Has been really consistent and solid in four straight games for the Illini. Notched his 15th double double of the season, which is quite impressive when considering his inconsistency at times.
● Mike Tisdale: Nice offensive rebound of a missed Davis baseline jumper at 16:53. Misses an open jumper from the top of the key at 16:43. Allows a post pass to Green at 14:16, but the Kent State big man travels on a long step for a running banker that was missed, leading to the under-16.
Nice offensive tap in of a missed baseline floater by Richardson, giving Illinois a 13-11 lead at 12:47.
Good help defense at 8:51, coming over as Singletary posted Paul and made a move to the basket. Paul fouled Singletary on the shot, and the Chicago native misses both free throws. Fouls Justin Green at the rim at 8:29 after a nice dive by the Kent State big man. That’s two fouls on Tisdale. Green hits one of two to put Kent State ahead 21-20.
Nice offensive board of a Richardson missed three and lay in at 18:53 to put Illinois up 33-31. Good job of keeping the ball high on that play. Great job at 17:47, blocking a Kent State baseline layup off the glass and kick starting an Illinois break that resulted in McCamey getting fouled on the break. Big offensive rebound of a missed McCamey free throw at 17:43 extends the Illini possession, which ends with a Cole layup at 17:32. Good job at 17:02, moving his feet and blocking a Green shot that is knocked out of bounds off Kent State. Misses an open baseline jumper at 16:46; that shot rattled in and out. Great job at 16:07, knocking a loose ball off a missed Paul free throw out of bounds and off of a Kent State player. Comes up with a loose ball at 15:51, which starts an Illinois break during which Davis will get a dunk and Illinois will take an 8-point (39-31) lead.
Gives up baseline on a closeout of Simpson at 15:30, and the Kent State forward drives baseline before hitting Green for an easy layup that cuts the Illinois lead to 39-33. Loses Green at 14:53 while trying to help Paul as Singletary dribble into the lane; Green gets an open lay in for a 41-35 game in favor of the Illini. Follows up with a good post and rolling right-handed hook at 14:35 to put Illinois up 43-35.
Back in at 10:01 for Keller.
Nice job at 6:59, blocking a Green interior look after Davis gave up an offensive board. Both teams get on the floor and Kent State gets a timeout. Nice use of the off hand at 6:35, completing a layup and getting the foul. Hits the free throw to put Illinois up 64-49. Following a Singletary technical foul at 5:04, Tisdale hits two free throws to push the Illinois lead to 68-53. Nice catch in the post, face and jumper at 3:47, putting Illinois up 72-53.
Hits an open baseline jumper at 2:52 off a beautiful pass from McCamey. Illinois now leads 74-53. Tisdale is 7/9 from the field.
Overall: 17 points (7/9 from the field, 3/3 from the line), 7 rebounds and 4 blocks in 24 minutes. After foul trouble limited him in the first half, Tisdale was great in the second half, energizing the Illini in the first 4 minutes. In both NIT games, Tisdale has been the key player, in my opinion, in helping the Illini move away from close games and take workable leads. A really efficient game, with Tisdale making a lot of Bill Cole little plays early in the second half.
● Brandon Paul: In out of the under-16 for Cole. Nice back cut at 11:46, when he misses a difficult left-handed layup but does a good job of hustling down the miss and throwing it off a Kent State player, leading to the under-12.
Good help defense for McCamey at 10:42, cutting off a Kent State drive and leading to an errant pass resulting in an over-and-back violation. Misses an open three at 10:21. Good cut to the rim at 9:12, and a nice finish on the layup to tie the game at 20.
Back in out of the under-4 for Cole. Poor job in the transition defense at 3:12, sagging off and failing to close out on Singletary who hits a three to put Kent State ahead 29-28. Catches a break at 50 seconds, as he was caught too high on the posting Singletary, who caught the lob pass but missed an open layup.
In at 16:37 for Cole. Gets immediately posted by Singletary, who misses a tough layup due to good help defense from the Illini. Hits a layup off an inbounds play at 16:09, and gets fouled. Misses the free throw as Illinois leads 37-31. Can’t contain Singletary at 14:22, as the Kent State guard gets into the lane, makes a layup and is fouled by Tisdale, leading to the under-16. Singletary makes the free throw (now 1-for-5) to cut the Illinois lead to 43-38.
Fouls Green at the rim at 11:55, when Illinois again struggled with the pick and dive. That foul takes us to the under-12. Green hits both free throws out of the under-12 to cut the Illinois lead to 49-40.
Great dive to the rim at 11:41, when he throws down a Jordan pass with an authoritative two-hand slam for a 51-40 ILL lead. Great catch and quick explosion off the ground. Simpkins, who coached Paul in AAU ball, notes that many players don’t have such quick explosion; rather, most players have to catch and gather the ball.
Helps Tisdale but fouls Green on a driving move to the middle of the lane at 5:39. Green hits the front end of the one and one, and then hits the second to cut the Illinois lead to 66-51. Overdrives at 5:19 and makes a soft pass off the reverse pivot, resulting in a Sherman steal and dunk, and a 66-53 game in favor of the Illini. Gets hammered under the basket at 5:04 as McCamey pushed the ball and fired a bullet pass. Singletary gets T’d up after that play. After Tisdale hits both technical free throws, Paul hits his two, pushing the Illinois lead to 70-53. Nice job of absorbing a Singletary elbow in the post at 4:42, resulting in an offensive foul for Singletary, who is gone on that play.
Good baseline cut at 2:04, getting fouled on the play. Hits one of two free throws to put Illinois up 75-53.
Overall: 9 points (3/6 from the field, 0/1 from three, 3/5 from the line), 3 rebounds, and 1 turnover in 22 minutes. Wasn’t fantastic or awful in this game, but more consistent. Is starting to become steadier out there late in the season, thus cutting into more of Cole’s minutes.
● Tyler Griffey: In out of the under-16 for Davis. Slow to close out on Kent State’s Anthony Simpson at 13:38, and the Kent State big man reserve hits a three to tie the game at 11. Turns the ball over at 13:10, passing up a short jumper from the left block and trying to force a bounce pass to Tisdale, which is stolen.
Back in out of the under-4 of the first half for Keller. Can’t handle a bad pass from McCamey on the baseline at 3:18, leading to a Kent State steal.
Back in at 2:04 of the second half. Air balls a step back shot at 1:14.
Overall: 0 points (0/1 from the field), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block and 2 turnovers in 6 minutes. Has struggled a bit in the first two games of the NIT after his breakthrough performance against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament. With more playing time and experience, this kid will develop into a solid glue guy for the Illini by the time he is an upperclassman.
● Dominique Keller: In at 8:29 for Tisdale, who has two fouls. Great job on the offensive board at 8:14, tapping at a missed Davis runner, controlling the ball and then throwing it in off the glass before hitting the ground to give Illinois a 22-21 lead. Misses a corner three at 6:11. Good job of running the floor at 5:55 after a Kent State turnover, with McCamey delivering a gorgeous behind-the-back pass for a dunk and 24-21 Illinois lead. Nice finish at the rim at 5:11, as the ball didn’t touch the floor off four passes against the zone and Illinois takes a 26-22 lead. Nice layup on the baseline at 4:42 as Richardson found him with a beautiful bounce pass. Eight straight points from Keller, who has given Illinois a 28-24 lead. Nice flash to the middle of the zone at 4 minutes but misses a short jumper in the lane.
Back in at 3 minutes for Keller. Nice hustle at 2:44, nearly coming down with a missed McCamey three and then almost tapping the loose ball off a Kent State player. Unfortunately, Keller stepped out of bounds on the hustle play. Nice offensive rebound of a missed Davis jumper at 2:00, but Davis fouls up with another miss on a running one-hander at 1:57. Gets posted by Justin Green at 1:29, and the Kent State big man hits an acrobatic (and quite difficult) shot, splitting Keller and a helping Davis for a 31-28 advantage in favor of the Golden Flashes. Nice steal of a Kent State pass with a couple of seconds in the half and then rushes up court, where he is called for a charge at the half-time buzzer. Was a bit out of control there and Simpkins makes a good point when saying that Keller that needed to adjust his body there.
In at 14:22 for Tisdale, who has 3 fouls. Misses a soft turnaround in the lane at 13:40 after doing a nice job of flashing in the middle of the zone and then receiving a great chest pass from Davis.
Back in at 2:04 of the second half.
Overall: 8 points (4/8 from the field, 0/2 from three), 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 14 minutes. Great first half for Keller, who kept the Illini in it with 8 straight points. Give credit to Keller, who looked in the mirror after the Big Ten Tourney Wisconsin game and adjusted his attitude. Nice to see him have a good game at the Hall and get cheered on by the crowd.
● Jeff Jordan: In at 10:43 for Richardson. Nice job at 9:52, using a dribble to get into the seam of the 2-3 zone and then hitting Davis for an easy push-shot in the lane. Good defense at 9:33, deflecting a Kent State pass that is recovered by the Golden Flashes. Good job helping and recovering on a closeout at 7:17, when a Kent State three is air balled and takes us to the under-8.
In at 32.2 seconds for McCamey.
In out of the under-12 for Richardson. Nice assist to the diving Paul at 11:41, with the Illinois freshman throwing the ball down. Picks up two quick fouls; Illinois with 6 team fouls at 10:41.
In at 5:04 for Richardson.
Overall: 0 points (0 shots) and 3 assists in 10 minutes. Very nice floor game, defense and recommitment to the team after getting suspended for the first round NIT game.
● Bubba Chisholm: In at 2:04. Can’t get over a screen at 1:37 as Holt hits a jumper to cut the Illinois lead to 75-55. Rebounds a missed Kent State shot at 1:04. Badly misses a three at 37.7 seconds.
Overall: 0 points (0/1 from the field) and 1 rebound in 2 minutes.
● Richard Semrau: In at 1:52 for Paul. Good closeout at 26 seconds but Kent State’s Mike McKee hits a rainmaker three to cut the Illinois lead to 75-58.
Overall: Zeroes across the board in 2 minutes.
● Stan Simpson: In at 1:00 for Jordan. Gets tied up at 46.5. Ball stays with Illinois.
Overall: Zeroes across the board in 1 minute.
● Bruce Weber: Illinois leads 11-8 at the under-16. Kent State had the better energy in the first couple of minutes, running off Illinois misses for two transition baskets and an 8-4 lead. After missing 5 straight shots, the Illini have hit 3 in a row, getting their own points in a transition on a Richardson dunk and McCamey pull-up three. Illinois is making a concerted effort to go inside to Davis early, and the Illini are also pushing off the miss. Kent State’s bulky big man Justin Green is giving Tisdale some problems in the post, where he has several catches inside. Kent State senior star and Farragut Academy product Chris Singletary is on the bench with two fouls.
Illinois leads 13-8 at the under-12. The Golden Flashes have gone some 2-3 zone here to make the Illini force some jumpers. Griffey was a bit hesitant in that short segment.
Illinois leads 22-21 at the under-8. Kent State is certainly playing with no fear in this game, hitting some threes (3 thus far) and doing a good job of getting the ball in the lane. Defensively, Illinois is struggling a bit with the screen and roll, a play that the Illini have been utilizing a great deal since the Wisconsin win at the Kohl Center. Tisdale is having a hard time recovering on Kent’s State diving big man after hedging, and the Illinois help defense hasn’t been quick enough. Tisdale is out with two fouls, and Keller is in. Offensively, Illinois hasn’t found great rhythm against the zone despite the narrow lead.
Illinois leads 28-26 at the under-4. The Illini are doing a nice job of moving the ball against the zone and getting the orange to the baseline and the middle of the lane. Keller has been a big spark off the bench, scoring Illinois’ last 8 points. Kent State’s Anthony Simpson has matched and bettered Keller’s productivity off the bench. While Illinois may be getting what it wants on offense, the Illini aren’t providing much resistance to the gritty Golden Flashes on the other end.
The game is tied at 31 at halftime. Illinois was a bit frustrated at the end of the first half, having a 4-minute scoring drought before a tough McCamey layup and free throw evened the score at 31. Before that shot, Kent State was on a 7-0 run. To be quite honest, Kent State has been the tougher team in the first half. Illinois had some success against the zone, but missed some open shots late. Let’s see how the Illini come out in the second half.
Illinois leads 39-31 at 15:48 as Kent State takes a timeout. The Illini are on an 11-0 run since the last 30 seconds of the first half. Illinois is not executing all that great, but have gotten 6 of its 8 second half points off hustle plays. Tisdale has really been the key energizer; getting two offensive boards that resulted in two layups (one for Tisdale, and one for Cole) and also coming up with a loose ball that resulted in a Davis dunk. After a bit of a sleepy first 22 minutes or so, Illinois has finally woken up and is playing with great activity all-around and holding Kent State scoreless thus far in the second half. Kent State has 10 turnovers on the game; Illinois 5.
Illinois leads 43-37 at the delayed under-16. Kent State has scored on three straight possessions since its timeout, with Paul having a hard time containing Singletary. Illinois has started to roll on offense as well, scoring on two straight possessions. All of a sudden, the offense has picked up on both sides. Illinois with a 30 to 14 advantage in paint points; it’s good to see the Illini take advantage of its size.
Illinois leads 49-38 at 12:11 as Weber takes a :30 timeout after a McCamey pull-up jumper on the break. Illinois is rolling offensively, scoring six quick points in 1:03. Mike Davis has been the key player in this spurt, controlling the glass and scoring two nifty buckets, while McCamey has picked up his play a bit (a nice assist on one of the Davis buckets, and a good hit on the jumper). Illinois is really pushing after missed Kent State buckets, which has played a bit too fast in the second half. Nice to see Illinois really start to control this game. Davis with 14 points and 11 rebounds; that’s his 17th double-double of the season.
Illinois leads 49-38 at the under-12. Illinois is red hot in the second half, shooting 69%. Kent State is just 28% from the field thus far in the first 8 minutes of the second half.
Illinois has its biggest lead of the game, 13 points (61-48), at the under-8. A lot of action in that segment, with McCamey the key catalyst for Illinois. McCamey had a mini 7-0 run of his own, even creating some offense with his defense. Who would have known it? To their credit, the Golden Flashes have fought back and done a better job of slowing down their possessions in the half court. Despite some defensive breakdowns, the Illini have had a response on the other end after every Kent State bucket. Illinois has made it a priority to push the ball after Kent State shots, and have done a nice job of executing this plan in the second half. Illinois now has 38 paint points.
Illinois leads 72-53 at the under-4. The Illini have been terrific on the offensive end in the second half and are really hitting on all cylinders. Kent State has become a bit frustrated, shooting just 28% in the second half and realizing that this game is likely over with Illinois now up 19.
Illinois wins 75-58. A very mature second half for the Illini. This game was tied at the break, and Illinois just came out and dominated offensively in the final 20 minutes. Tisdale, Davis and McCamey were especially good in the second half, exactly what you want to see from your upperclassmen. Illinois found its shooting stroke in the second half after struggling a bit in the first half.
Some key stats: Illinois shoots 58.1% in the second half and 48.5% on the game. Kent State shoots 30% in the second half (after 50% in the first half) and 38.9% on the game. Illinois was just 3/16 from three compared to 6/18 for Kent State. Illinois got outshot on at the free throw line as Kent State went there 18 times but only hit 10 freebies while Illinois went to the charity stripe 12 times and made 8 of its free throws. Illinois only had 7 turnovers, compared to 12 for Kent State. The Illini also had 19 assists compared to 13 for the Golden Flashes.
Overall: Has Weber finally gotten through to this team? The Illini haven’t been great in the first half of both NIT games but have hung around in these games and then taken over in the second half. Illinois has been playing some good ball since the start of the Big Ten Tournament.
Overall: Illinois defeats Kent State 75-58 in a game that was tougher than the final score indicated. Kent State was a very experienced and tough opponent, as Illinois learned in the first half. With that said, the Illini activity was really good in the second half, turning what could have been a close game into a blowout late. Kent State played hard and should be proud of its effort; Illinois was the better team and got rolling in the second half.
Player of the Game: I usually don’t like doing this, but I’ll give it to McCamey, Davis and Tisdale, all of whom were huge in the second half as Illinois took over the game. McCamey and Davis both had double doubles while Tisdale was very effective after sitting most of the first half with foul trouble. More importantly, all three juniors showed some leadership in taking a 31-31 score at the break to a 17-point win against a very good mid-major.
Play of the Game: After a bit of a choppy first half during which he settled for too many jumpers, Demetri McCamey nearly tips in a Keller missed three at 35 seconds. Mike Davis comes up with the loose ball and quickly hits McCamey, who finishes strong at the rim with his left hand (plus the foul). McCamey then makes the free throw to tie the game at 31. From this point on, McCamey and the Illini played with greater urgency and toughness, opening the second half with an 8-0 run before pulling away big in the final 8 minutes.
Some Things I Liked:
● Great second half, marked by better toughness.
● The juniors (McCamey, Davis and Tisdale) leading by example in the second half.
● Dominique Keller providing a spark off the bench in the second half.
● Illinois playing some good ball at the end of the season.
Some Things I Disliked:
● Thought Kent State was the tougher team in the first half.
● Illinois struggled with Singletary in the pick and dive game, as the Illini were slow to provide backside help when Tisdale or Griffey hedged out to cut off the Kent State guard.
Well, that’s it for another Illini Tale of the Tape.
Up next, the final game of the 2009-2010 season.
Until then.